Wisconsin walk-on QB Conor Blount flips commitment to Oregon State

Conor Blount verbally committed to walk on to Wisconsin's program in February, but now the Waukesha (West) quarterback is headed to Oregon State—now the home, some Badgers fans might recall, of ex-Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen.

Blount announced his flip on Twitter on Friday, and it was first noticed by Wisconsin media on Tuesday by the Wisconsin State Journal.

Back in early February, B5Q profiled Blount following his commitment to Wisconsin; he was offered his walk-on spot back in January.

The 6'1, 185-pound signal caller completed 56.8 percent of his passes for 1,413 yards and 18 touchdowns his senior season, according to MaxPreps.com. He led the Wolverines to an 11-3 mark and the WIAA Division II state championship game in 2015.

As a junior, he completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,769 yards and 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Had Blount stayed at Wisconsin, he would have joined a quarterback grouping headlined by redshirt senior Bart Houston and redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook. The Badgers also have two true freshman in Kare' Lyles and Andres Castillo.

Blount discussed his transfer to Oregon State with The Oregonian in an article published on Tuesday.

"I took my visit Thursday through Saturday and during I committed," he said. "I was originally committed to be a preferred (walk-on) at Wisconsin, but to be honest I didn't really feel like that was the fit. I was looking for an offense that was more predicated on letting the quarterback be a true athlete. That's what Coach Andersen does and that's what that team is based on – what your athletes can do."

Of course, you can't blame Blount for wanting to pursue an offense more suited to his skill set. Wisconsin tried multiple mobile-QB sets under Andersen, most notably with Tanner McEvoy, and they panned out to various levels of success. Under Paul Chryst, it appears the offense has been dialed back in that regard.

Another interesting aspect of Blount's transfer: he credited his relationship with Wisconsin's former director of football recruiting, Vincent Guinta, as a factor in his decision to commit to Oregon State. From The Oregonian:

"I had a good relationship with (Oregon State's) staff at Wisconsin and really wanted to be a part of what they were doing," he said. "All along, me and Vince Guinta stayed in contact. Late, it happened where I was interested in exploring other options and wanted to take my game to a different offensive style. I got aggressive with them, they got aggressive with me and it just developed from there."

Blount chose Oregon State over offers from Indiana State, Northern Iowa and South Dakota that, most likely, would've offered him more immediate playing time.